Apparatus for receiving delivered commodities and preventing theft thereof



Nov. 22, 1938. A. sUTcLlFFE 2,137,357

APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING DELIVERED COMMODITIES AND PREVENTING THEFT' THEREOF Filed 001'.. 28, 1937 /lVL/EA/ 701, 6,577,106 Sara/FREJ 5.7

Patented Nov. 22, 1938 PATENT OFFICE y APPARATUS Fon RECEIVING DELIVERED ooMMoDrrlEs ANDI PaEvENfrING THEFT THEREoF Arthr Sutcliffe, London, England C l Application October 28, 1937, Serial No. 171,586 I' `In Great Britain September 25, 1936 i 4 I Claims. (o1. asa-42) This invention relates to an apparatus to be installed on the joint of a doorway or other structure in the proximity of a door, and which is intended to receive delivered commodities and 5 prevent theft thereof. The apparatus is so constructed that after the receiving element thereof has been set to receiving position andthe goods inserted, it can be turned to a position in which access to its contents is obstructed by the door,

means being provided for preventing said receiver being returned to the aforesaid receiving position so that the contents are inaccessible except by opening the door. The invention is applicable to street yand apartment doorways and also to doors of lift cages in cases where goods are inserted into oneside of said cage and removed from the other side.

According to the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising, in combination, a receiver rotatably mounted in a carrier, an opening in said receiver by way of which goods can be inserted into it, a base member adapted to be fixedly mounted on a door frame and constructed so that the receiver-carrier slides vertic-ally down said base member to engage it, a catch device on the base member, engaged by the door when closed for locking the receiver-carrier in the engaged position, .and means to prevent the turning of the receiver from its non-accessible position whilst the door remains closed. f

The locking of the receiver in the carrier when it has been turned to non-accessible position may be effected by providing means for ensuring unidirectional movement of the receiver in the carrier, the receiver being formed of non-circular shape or otherwise constructed to present a projection adapted to contact with the door when the receiver is turned to non-accessible position. Further turning to reset to receiving position cannot be carried out until the door has been opened and no longer obstructs the movement of the receiver. Opening of the door also permits access being had to the interior of the receiver,

-and also releases the locking catch aforesaid to permit bodily removal of the receiver should this be desired.

A preferred form of apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described and is shown in the accompanying drawing, whereinz Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a vertical section on line II--II in Figure 1, showing th-e base member and the portion of the receiver-carrier which is engaged therewith, and

`Figure 3 is a cross-section onl line IRQ-III in Figure 1. i

Referring to the drawing, there is provided a base member for` attachment to the jamb of a door, said base member comprising an elongated plate d having `its longitudinalside portions 5 turned over forwardly to form channels'which terminateshort of the bottom of said plate. .0n the remaining lower portions S of the plate is mounted on a centrally disposed pivot 'i a catch 10` member having one limb projecting to form a thumb piece 9. Another limb thereof upstands and forms a detent IIl. The catch is adapted to swing out to an extent determined by shoulder II, which is adapted to contact with a. cen- 15 trally positioned stop i2 on the plate, while the thumb piece serves as a counterweight automatically to normally turn thedetent IE! into the channel. A cover plate I3 is provided to fit over the lower part of said catch and said cover plate 20.

may carry the pivot stud 'I for said catch.

The receiver comprises a container I4 which is somewhat pear-shaped in cross-section, i. part-circular formation having tangential portions meeting to form a projecting corner Iii, one 25.

of said tangential portions being constituted by a door It, having the hinge at the corner It. This container is pivotally mounted `between upper and lower horizontal arms Il extending from a straight bar constituting the carrier, the 30.

edges ofthe bar being adapted to enter the channels of the base member. Near to one end said bar I8 is formed with a notch I9 in one side edge, and asimilar notch I9 is formed in the same edge near the opposite end. 35

When said bar I8 is slid into proper eng-aga ment with the base member one of the notches I9 is positioned to receive the detent It of the catch. i

, Thecarrierincorporates a ratchet and pawl 40' device comprising a ratchet Wheel 2t attached to the pivot stud 28 of an arm I'I of the carrier bar iii, a disc 2l attached to the receiver I4, pawls t2 mounted on diametrically opposite pivots 23 on said disc 2l, and pawl-actuating springs 5 213 tted on diametrically-opposite pins 25 set at 9G degrees to the pawl pivots 23, the pawls engaging the ratchet wheel 2l). This arrangement permits of the ratchet wheel 20 and pawls and spring being reversed if desired when changing the device from a left-hand opening door to a right-hand opening door.

The device is mounted in close relation to a A door 25 so that the catch 8 is prevented from 55 turning by the final closing movement of the door, thus locking the receiver carrier in place.

To convert from left-hand operation to righthand operation it is only necessary to reverse the catch 8 from one side to the other. The container is now inserted in inverted relation to its previous disposition to ensure that its door I6 faces the street or like door 25. I'his inversion also reverses the ratchet-controlled direction of turning although if preferred the ratchet itself may be changed for reverse operation as hereinbefore explained.

With the device constructed in the manner above set forth there is the remote risk of the receiver becoming jammed if its door I 6 should have been left open instead of having been closed when turning said receiver beyond the position in which its access opening faces the street or like door, that is to saythe door i6 may be caught and obstructed by the carrier bar I8. Since the pawl and ratchet devices prevent reverse turning of the receiver necessary to free the door in these circumstances, there is provided a trigger 26 pivotally movable about an extension 21 of the receiver-carrying pivot stud 28, said trigger, When manipulated being adapted to raise the pawls from the ratchet Wheel 20, and permit reverse turning of the receiver. As the trigger is accessible only from the interior of the receiver it cannot be tampered with in attempted theft.

I claim:-

1. An apparatus adapted to be supported on a door jamb adjacent a hinged door for receiving delivered commodities and preventing theft thereof, said apparatus, comprising, in combination, a receiver having an opening by way of which goods can be inserted into it, a carrier having a vertical portion provided with a notch in one edge and formed at its ends with laterally offset arms, means for rotatably mounting said receiver between said arms, a base member adapted to be attached to the door jamb and comprising a strip having channel edges for slidably receiving the vertical portion of said carrier, a catch device mounted on the base member and having a part adapted to project therefrom for contact with the door, a detent on said catch device for engagement with said notch in the carrier, and means to prevent the turning of the receiver from a nonaccessible position while the door remains closed.

2. An apparatus adapted to be supported on a door jamb adjacent a hinged door for receiving delivered commodities and preventing theft thereof, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a receiver having an opening by way of which goods can be inserted into it, a carrier for said receiver adapted to be reversed end for end for right and left hand use, said carrier including a vertical portion provided in one edge thereof with upper and lower notches and also having laterally off-set arms, means for rotatably mounting said receiver between said arms, a base member adapted to be mounted on the door jambs and comprising a strip having channel edges for slidably receiving the vertical portion of said carrier, a catch device reversibly mounted on the base member for right or left hand use and having a part adapted to project therefrom for contact with the door, a detent on said catch device for engagement with one of said notches in the carrier, and means to prevent the turning of the receiver from a non-accessible position while the door remains closed.

3. An apparatus adapted to be supported on a door jamb adjacent a hinged door for receiving delivered commodities and preventing theft thereof, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a receiver having an opening by way of which goods can be inserted into it, a carrier for said receiver adapted to be reversed end for end for right and left hand use, said carrier including a vertical portion provided in one edge thereof with upper and lower notches and also having laterally off-set arms, means for rotatably mounting said receiver between said arms, a base member adapted to be mounted on the door jamb and comprising a strip having channel edges for slidably receiving the vertical portion of said carrier, a catch device reversibly mounted on the base member for right or left hand use and having a part adapted to `project therefrom for contact with the door, a detent on said catch device for engagement with one of said notches in the carrier, and means to prevent the turning of the receiver from a non-accessible position While the door remains closed, said means comprising a paWl and ratchet for insuring unidirectional turning of the receiver, and pawl lifting means accessible only from the interior of the receiver.

4. An apparatus adapted to be supported on a door jamb adjacent a hinged door for receiving delivered commodities and preventing theft thereof, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a support adapted to be secured to the door jamb, a casing mounted for partial rotation in said support, said casing including a body having end walls and a side wall including circular and tangential wall portions, and a cover also formed with substantially circular and tangential wall portions, said tangential wall portions of the body and cover being hinged together, said hinged portions of the body and cover, when located near the support on the door jamb permitting the cover to be opened, and when moved toward the door being obstructed by the door; and pawl and ratchet means at one of the end walls of the body for compelling manual movement of the hinged portion of the body of the casing and cover toward the door.

A. SUTCLIFFE. 

